Locations for a small budget
We know that you are currently all sitting at home waiting to finally be able to travel again. Especially if you are a student, doing nothing but taking online classes, you are probably wondering how to make better use of your time. We’ve got the answer: short trips within Germany! We made a list of our favourite travel destinations that you can explore this summer 2020, even on a tight budget. We are also going to give you some valuable travel tips that will help you save some extra money on the road.
Mecklenburg Lake Plateau
The Mecklenburg Lake Plateau attracts thousands of visitors every year that just want to dive into nature, quite literally, and enjoy the tranquillity of this beautiful region. The many lakes and rivers, over 1000 to be precise, are inviting you to take a swim and cool down. You could either admire the beauty of nature from your own houseboat or rent a sailing boat or kayak to go and explore the area a little further. The decision is yours but if you are a student and traveling on a budget we definitely recommend you to rent a houseboat. Especially if you’re traveling in a group this is a great way to combine accommodation and transport while splitting the cost.
There are many options to buy groceries in the villages along the shore and prepare your own food which is a great way to save some extra money. Or, you can even bring the essentials from home because this region is very accessible by car or train. You can either take a road trip or get a group ticket for the train. High season is during the summer months as this is when the weather is best. If you are keen on saving a bit more it might be worth coming out here during the low season for your low budget travel destination.
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
You can find the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxony, more precisely in Saxon Switzerland. This destination is a great, and most of all much cheaper, alternative to real Switzerland. Saxon Switzerland has a breathtaking landscape with a remarkable mountain range at its heart. This is the perfect travel destination for nature lovers. That’s not all, you can get active as well as this is a great location to go hiking and explore the area. Even though there are some cable cars, we surely think that real adventurers alike who use their own power to reach the top of the mountains!
There are numerous free or low budget activities in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains that will make your trip unforgettable while not costing you a fortune. For example, hiking, it doesn’t cost you anything! If you visit during the summer you can even look for little creeks to cool down in the water. Another great and affordable location to check out is the Königstein Fortress right next to the Elbe river. You can currently visit the fortress from 10 am to 6 pm with the entrance fee being 7€ per person. As you can see, there’s plenty to discover in the Elbe Sandstone Mountain area on a student budget. All you need now is the right group of tripmates for your low budget travel destination, which we can help you with, just head to JoinMyTrip.
Spreewald
We know what you want, to be like Indiana Jones! You don’t have to travel into the depths of the jungle for that, the Spreewald in Brandenburg is perfectly adequate. In the interwoven arms of the Spree, you can experience true adventures because the main means of transport here is the boat! If you are children of water, this is your place. The best thing? You can simply moor your boat and pitch your tents. This way you can save a lot of money and travel with your travel mates at a low cost.
As a student, it is especially important to know how economical your journey can be. The Spreewald is less than 1.5 hours away from Berlin by car, so you can easily combine the city and nature. That way you don’t have to pay too much for a city hotel, but you can just spend the second half of your trip in a tent or on the boat because, in the end, we want to show you how you can travel cheaply as a young adult!
You’ve already seen these places and want to explore some student cities with your new travel mates? We are absolutely with you! We have put together the best student cities for you, which are not only attractive for studying but also for a low budget travel destination.
Quedlinburg
You have never heard of Quedlinburg? Well, you are going to now! This city is located in Saxony-Anhalt in the Harz Mountains and is a world heritage site as it was founded around 922 AD! Therefore, you will find a lot of cultural treasures from the early Middle Ages here, which you won’t see anywhere else. You will not only find interesting museums, but also impressive nature just outside the city gates. Directly in Quedlinburg begins the Selketal-Stieg and the Harz monastery hiking trail. You can use two national hiking trails that will lead you through the whole mountain range.
Culinary delights will not be missed out in this little town either, no matter what you want to eat, may it be “typically German”, Far Eastern or Southeast Asian food, you will find what you are looking for here! Saxony-Anhalt is generally very inexpensive and popular with groups, because hiking as well as experiencing the culture is fun, especially with like-minded travelers. People like that are waiting for you in the JoinMyTrip community so that you can travel together as students at a reasonable price. Quedlinburg is not the typical city that is mentioned in the guidebooks for the most beautiful low budget travel destination, but that’s exactly why you should go there!
Marburg
Marburg is located in Hessen and a great example of how students can travel on a small budget. This student city is in the shadow of its big neighbour, Frankfurt am Main. But you should take the time to leave Frankfurt behind and explore this medieval town. The student scene is very liberal and therefore open to drink a beer with anyone who is friendly and open-minded. If you want to learn more about the German brewing culture, check out our 4 Best Brewery & Beer Tours in Germany! Like many southern cities, Marburg has a dazzling past, which you can experience through buildings and architecture, such as the Landgrafenschloss or the old university.
If you are traveling with photography travel mates, you should definitely check out the following photo spots, Weidenhäuser Straße, the Rosenparkbrücke and the market place. At these spots, you can definitely capture the beauty of the city. A popular meeting point for students is the Lahn stairs and fun fact for you, more than a third of the 70.000 inhabitants here are students.
Berlin
Even though this city is popular with tourists and visited by millions of people every year, there are still corners that are very cheap and perfect for a student trip. No other city in Germany is so colourful, loud, diverse and multicultural. You are still able to experience the history of Germany, especially regarding the inner-German wall and the Second World War, like nowhere else in Germany. In Berlin, there are many possibilities to plan cheap sightseeing. For example, if you take the number 100 bus, you can get to the Tiergarten, the Reichstag, Bellevue Palace and all the way to the Victory Column. If you want to see the city from above and enjoy the view without spending a fortune on the television tower, then go to the Teufelsberg, the Elsenbrücke or the Oberbaumbrücke which is all for free!
Berlin is also known for its numerous small restaurants and snack bars, which have maintained their low prices to this day. Such places can often be found near flea markets. We like the flea market in Mauerpark best! We are sure that Berlin will always be a top tip for a low budget travel destination because this city lives from being more affordable than other big cities in Germany. That’s why the city remains true to itself and is recommended by us again and again, especially for the summer of 2020.
Dresden
Dresden is always worth a trip. The city on the Elbe will enchant you with the imposing architecture of its venerable buildings. The beauty here is that you can find this culture on one side of the river and on the other side is the Neustadt, which pulsates with innovative concepts and young people. Here you will feel like in Berlin…just a little bit smaller! In Dresden, as in many other cities in the world, there are free city tours offered by locals. It couldn’t be cheaper! Many of Dresden’s sights can also be admired for free, like the Zwinger, the Frauenkirche and the Fürstenzug in Auguststraße. Importantly, all these buildings are within walking distance, so you don’t have to rely on transportation.
In Dresden, you can not only experience the medieval culture but also learn more about the history of Germany after the Second World War, because the city was one of the places that were hit the hardest.
Dresden simply shows us how to do it. It doesn’t always have to be the biggest, the best, the coolest city, because even half the way is enough to experience a nice short trip. At JoinMyTrip you can easily upload your trip to Dresden and take cool people with you!
Finally, we would like to give you some general travel tips to help you answer the question: How can I travel on a small budget as a young adult?
Travel in low season: For many places, summer is of course the best time of year. But many tourists have the same thought. Spring and fall can be really beautiful too, because then you can really experience nature in action!
Choice of transport: Bus or train? Plane or car? You should definitely ask yourself these questions, because the choice of transport makes a big difference. Don’t book too early or too late and keep an eye on the prices. Also, make sure to talk to your tripmates, maybe you come from the same direction and can travel together. Often there are group tickets that can save you a lot of money.
Choosing accommodation: Of course, hostels are often the cheapest way to stay in a city or region. But there are also often offers from hotels or vacation apartment providers who want to occupy their rooms in the low seasons.
Germany has so much to offer. If you have a little more budget or can share the costs with your fellow travellers, check out our blog on secret destinations in Germany for autumn 2020.
Of course, we have also provided more information about the Corona crisis and travel in 2020. Click here for JoinMyTrip’s COVID-19 Guidelines.
If you want to get yourself even more excited to travel, then click here:
